Local Amtrak service posts gains

Ridership of the Palmetto train, which operates along the Interstate 95 corridor between Savannah and New York City, jumped 10.5 percent over a six-month period ending March 31st. That’s not to say passengers are flooding to the Savannah or other stations along the route, however. A report by the Bookings Institute pegs the Palmetto’s ridership at 198,260 passengers a year and that Amtrak loses $16.5 million annually on the route.

The other two trains that route though Savannah, the Silver Star and the Silver Meteor, carry significantly more passengers (they service Florida) but lose a combined $94.7 million a year.

Don’t feel guilty, Savannahians. Amtrak loses money on the overwhelming majority of its routes – and $600 million overall. The service does thrive in some areas, such as the Northeast corridor and along short-haul routes, like as the San Diego-to-Los Angeles train, the Pacific Surfliner.

I’ve never ridden Amtrak, but not for lack of trying. I actually booked a ticket for a trip between Atlanta and Clemson, S.C.on a Georgia Tech football game day a few years back. Problem was, I misread the schedule. I thought the train left in the morning and would put me in Clemson two hours before kickoff. Turned out I confused my a.m. with p.m. I ended up canceling the ticket and driving instead.

Then there was last Christmas. My wife and I planned to go to New Englandto visit her family for the holidays and actually found reasonably priced tickets. But some scheduling issues led to a delay in my purchasing them and by the time I went online to buy the prices had jumped.

We’ve also looked at riding Amtrak to Floridato visit family, but they live in the one spot along the Atlantic Ocean that Amtrak bypasses as it moves inland toward Orlando and then turns back toward the coast to hit Miami. The closest station is 90 minutes away.

Anyway, I’d be interested in reading the Amtrak experiences of others locally. Please share in the comments section below.